Three-Point Stance: QB competitions, NFL Draft, Heisman

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Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with five spring quarterback battles to watch, some early NFL Draft thoughts and an early look at the 2019 Heisman Trophy race.

Here are the quarterback competitions that interest me as spring football gets underway across the country:

Miami – If Tate Martell gets his waiver, and confidence is high in Miami that he will, he’s the guy, but he will be pushed by Jarren Williams and N’Kosi Perry. Why is this so intriguing? Because I’ve been waiting to see Martell make an impact at the college level for a few years now and he can make a huge difference. The Hurricanes' future, at least for the next few years under Manny Diaz, relies upon Martell coming in and winning this job with ease.

Wisconsin – I was never a big fan of Alex Hornibrook as most who read my stuff know, so Wisconsin is headed for an upgrade. I’m also not impressed with what I see from Jack Coan, but I am excited to see what Graham Mertz can do. He starts as a true freshman.

Auburn – Cord Sandberg is a 24-year-old who hopes to win the job, but watch out for freshman Bo Nix, a five-star recruit, here as he could be ready to jump in. Joey Gatewood is a project and I don’t believe in Malik Willis, so I’m interested to see if Nix can win this job.

Oklahoma State – I’m a big fan of Mike Gundy and his development of quarterbacks, so Spencer Sanders can be a great one but Dru Brown is a prolific passer as well and has college experience.

TCU – Shawn Robinson is gone, which hurts because he had a high ceiling. So now it’s Justin Rogers against grad transfer Alex Delton, with Michael Collins missing the spring after foot surgery. Freshman Max Duggan is also getting a look. All of them have talent and can succeed in the offense, but I am especially intrigued by Rogers and his overall skill level.

Will the Arizona Cardinals take Kyler Murray No. 1 overall? Who will be the first defensive lineman drafted? How about running back? Will the Giants get the quarterback they need? I’ll take a crack at answering these and other questions here.

Will Murray go No. 1 overall? Yes, but it might not be Arizona that takes him. I could see a few teams trying to trade up to land him, especially the Giants or Redskins. The Cardinals could easily take one of the elite defensive linemen available at No. 1, but they want to raise the price of the No. 1 pick by praising Murray so much that someone feels inclined to trade up.

Who will be the first defensive lineman taken? Nick Bosa will be the guy, whether he goes No. 1 overall or drops to No. 2, but I can’t see him getting past the top two picks. And it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Quinnen Williams and Rashan Gary go in the top four as well. That’s how good this draft is at DL. We won’t see another defensive line class like this in years.

Who’s going to be the top running back? I still think it’s going to be Josh Jacobs out of Alabama, but it might not be in the first round. This is a weak running back draft overall and I don’t see a ton of value in reaching on Jacobs. The sleeper? Miles Sanders out of Penn State. He could be a steal in the second or third round.

Will the Giants get their quarterback? They have to, whether that’s trading up to No. 1 or staying at No. 6 and taking Dwayne Haskins. I’m higher on Drew Lock out of Missouri than I am on Haskins, but what do I know? I thought the Chiefs trading up for Patrick Mahomes a couple of years ago was a big mistake.

How high has Montez Sweat moved up? The Mississippi State standout could go as high and No. 4 or 5 to the Raiders or Buccaneers after his dominant combine performance. He’s arguably the most natural athlete we’ve seen in the draft in years.

What would I do if I were the Raiders with three first-round picks? I wouldn’t trade any of them, even though people think this is a weak draft. I’d take Sweat, Williams or Gary at No. 4 depending on who’s available and take a wide receiver and a cornerback at No. 24 and No. 27. A.J. Brown and Byron Murphy would be home runs.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is destined to win the Heisman Trophy next year and the year after that, but it’s always fun to see who else will compete for the prize. Here are my early candidates to push Lawrence:

Tua Tagovailoa – Tua may be the favorite to some people, but Lawrence is the quarterback to beat. However, betting against Tagovailoa might not be smart and it could be a great race.

Jalen Hurts – How can you count out the starter at Oklahoma after the last couple of seasons? Hurts isn’t the passer that Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray are, but he can put up major numbers and could lead the Sooners to a national title.

Justin Fields – Fields has the talent to make this kind of impact. It just depends on how quickly he picks things up at Ohio State. I expect the Buckeyes to win a lot of games and be in the hunt for the national title and if they are that means Fields will be in the Heisman discussion.

Jonathan Taylor – The Wisconsin running back has to be up here on the list because he puts up massive numbers. Running backs don’t win the Heisman like they used to, but if there’s one back who could win it this year, it’s Taylor.

Rondale Moore – Wide receivers never win the Heisman, so this is probably too high for Moore but he’s a dynamic talent who needs to be considered.

Adrian Martinez – Nebraska may be a couple of years from a winning season, but if the Huskers have a remarkable turnaround next season it will be because of Martinez, who is a sleeper candidate for the award.

Kellen Mond – Can Texas A&M somehow come out of the SEC West? If they do, it will be because of Mond if he develops quickly. This will be his second year under Jimbo Fisher, who gets a lot out of his quarterbacks, so keep an eye out for Mond.